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Oh my gosh, can I tell you how proud I am of that little girl!!! She scored two goals, and had about 4 near misses. She does not have that dead aim and turning the ball down yet... but just give her time. One of her near goals was when they had kick off. Emma stood at the center, back up and kicked and plunk... right left of in the goal. Too fast for the other girls to get time to stop it! It was amazing! ~ this is her aim item. The other near misses were when she kicked a good distance from the goal. But the two she got in the goal were incredible. This is amazing since she started off practicing, falling, and crying -- wanting to go home. I told her we could not. She was there to play and help her team. Then grandpa gave her a pep talk. Now two of the little girls just llloooovvveee Coach Taylor. It is too cute. Number 7, with her shirt tied in back is Lily and Taylor is her boyfriend! Lily and Katie stayed glued to him, well, at least when Katie was not picking up grass. It was funny, my dad asked Katie if her parents need to buy her some grass! She got all giggly.After our game, we left Emma to pick where we went for dinner (uuummmmm, the grown ups wanted El Azteca so I could get some Polo Loco.. incredible marinated chicken with limes and avocado salad), but No.... we went to McDonald's.... okay Asian chicken salad is NOT the same thing, but guess I will live : ) She took a couple of bites and then went and played in the playland, came back, took a couple of more bites, played some more. I think this soccer is really doing her some good. She has a horrible fear of heights and will not go to the top of the playland, and tonight she did! Yeah for soccer and boosting your confidence! ~ next maybe conquering the fear of heights on a horse...hmmmmm...

What are beautiful, warm, sunny Sunday afternoons good for? Everything! but mostly being really lazy and playing outside. Turning off the TV, going barefoot and picking flowers. It is for hanging your
laundry on the line... and playing with your next door neighbors. We trimmed up around the yard, I made sun tea, we picked tulips for the dining room table, and then eventually sat at the table on the deck and crocheted my dishcloth for the dishcloth exchange (well, finished it.. I just could not get into it).

As I said earlier, crocheted the dishcloth. Love this yarn. I cannot remember what the color is. Oh wait, here is label, it is called Key Lime Pie, and boy are the colors just wonderful. So "springy"! I thought it would be great for spring.. all the green we are seeing (that just showed up in the last week).

We have 1 more week and Emma has her tonsil/adenoid surgery. I am really nervous about her being put under/going under the knife. I am sure she will be fine, but I am still worried. I am worried because I have no idea how they are going to get her IV in her.. this is a child that hates needles! I mean, it takes two nurses to do her shots every year. One to do them and then another nurse to hold her legs down. One year Emma actually shoved a nurse across the room with her legs. There are only two things I am looking forward to with this 1) Emma will be able to breathe better 2) some much needed down time for both of us. I will
actually get to do some therapeutic crafting --and some much needed crafting as well.

Truman, to the left, even spent most of the day in our backyard. It is so funny. It is like our house is his second home. Things should get interesting when we get a corgi for ourselves!

We went to the Oklahoma Aquarium today. Let me tell you I was really pleasantly surprised. I have been to the Monterrey Bay aquarium and the Dallas World Aquarium, so that is all I have to compare with. Monterrey is incredible and Dallas has manatees (which they alone are worth going, I could have sat forever and just stared at them). My biggest complaint with our aquarium is that the exhibit rooms are, well, square, full of 90 degree angles.. so with every corner there is a bottleneck. It is just crazy. Of course today is the last day of Spring Break around here, so I am sure that does not help with the bottleneck of kids in corners. I have heard they are going to increase the size of our aquarium, which I can see why.

There was so much to see and do. There were things to see that I cannot even remember what they heck they are, but I sure know I would never want to step on them due to the gross out factor.

The "whatever" to the right would be one of those I would not wish to ever step on. It just seems they would be really squishy and icky feeling if you did happen to unexpectedly "drop in" on it. That and the sea cucumbers..

I love starfish, and I really love when children come across them at the aqaurium because you can always expect to hear "It's Patrick". I made some kids giggle with my "No, it's Pat-tar" (you must watch Spongebob to understand that one).

Then there were the Sunshine Starfish. They were HUGE, but really cool as well (no Patrick comments on them though).

They had a beaver family at the aquarium as well. It was so cool to get to see them push around branches etc, trying to build a damn and then diving into their pool to swim. The babies were SO cute.

Then it was on to the jellyfish and other "glowy" things. The picture to the right was not taken with any flash, nor was there light in the tank. These jellyfish light up. it was sooo cool.

More fishes everywhere else. I especially like the parrot fish picture I took. The "toothy" smile just cracked me up. There were all kinds of fish there. The piranhas were not some of Emma's favorite. They actually had a skeleton of one out for the kids to look at and she did not want to hang around and look at it at all! Not that I could blame her.

The best was for the last. They have a coral reef and then another huge tank on the other side. By huge, I mean gigantic. The coolest part of this tank is there is a tunnel all the way through it, so you can walk and have the fish swim all around you. and yes that is a shark swimming above us!

Everything is blooming here in Oklahoma. It is just gorgeous, but man, allergies, pollen, whew.... but it is just wonderful to see all the green with all the redbuds, dogwoods and crape myrtles in full bloom. Just magnificent!

Well, look what we found in the attic! The one on the very left was my very first Mandy. Then there is Becky, Jenny and then an older model Mandy. The Mandy on the far left I bought for Emma. She loves these dolls. So funny how she finds these dolls more fun than the ever so expensive American Girl dolls!
There were several of us girls in the neighborhood that had these dolls.. Michelle, Gwen and I all had one of them. My mom made them the kaftans, and I think she also made them capes. We took them everwhere, even when we stayed the night at each other's homes.. they went along as well with their nightgowns. We even took them to the creek! Our moms about killed us over that one!!!!I have since obtained most of the patterns that came with the clothes and then the My Friends four seasons of patterns. I have cut out a few with the vintage material my mom dug out of the attic. Now I just need to sew! I have quite a few clothes already! I cannot believe so many of them made it through. My Mandy is one of the originals, #210. She is in fairly good condition considering the gal is over 20 years old. I even made it out with two pairs of white clogs, 2 pairs of white shoes, a pair of brown ones, and her brown riding boots.

I kind of wish Fisher Price would make them again. They are just too cute. And Emma looks pretty cute sacked out with Becky in her horse pj's and pillow with horse pillowcase : )

I made French Toast Muffins at 5 am this morning (I usually get up around 4:15 am so I can work out -- DST is just kicking me this year, so I took this morning off and slept in... wait, what is wrong with that statement? I slept in until 5 am?! ). I found out Emma has not been eating breakfast at daycare. They rotate things out, but essentially those kids eat the same thing all the time, sooo, I have been trying to come up with different types up muffins she will eat. She loves French Toast, so I found this recipe. They were really good, but just not moist enough for me, so I may play around with the recipe.. but they were really good. But what is not to love about muffins dipped in butter and then cinnamon and sugar? Emma gobbled up two and wanted another, but I told her to wait because she would probably be full -- and compared to eating nothing for breakfast, I think she would be. Now I did find this Breakfast cookie on Don't Eat Alone: the recipes which sounds yummy. Bacon and cheese breakfast cookies. May have to test run those this weekend. I also like Longo's Healthy Breakfast Cookie recipe.

I am really worried about how she will eat when starts going to full day Kindergarten next year. You know that, if I pack her lunch will she actually eat it? I say this because I have seen and remember school menus... starch, starch ,starch... blech! I think some public schools are their own worst enemy when it comes to trying to teach kids to be healthy. Here, have some mashed potatoes with gravy, some corn, a piece of bread, a fruit and mystery meat. Two guesses on what the children will eat! There were only 3 things I would eat in school - their yeast rolls, their cinnamon rolls and their no bake cookies. Yummmm. and how nutritious : )

Oh how I wish I could be a stay at home mom and homeschool her... oh well,

On the crafting front, I have not done too much lately. I did sew another nightgown (out of horse fabric, of course) for Emma. Which it is really a dress from a Japanese children's clothing pattern book. It is at home right now, so I will have to get the ISBN tonight. I love the book and the patterns are so simple. I will be sure to get some pics and the ISBN tonight, as I cannot find it on line right now. I did get a couple of more squares done of my afghan, and part of a doll finished. I have got to get my WIP under control (is that possible?)

UPDATE:
The ISBN is 4-579-10970-8. I will have to see if I can get more pictures tomorrow!

Oh My Gosh!!!!! Tonight was Emma's second soccer game... I had a wonderful conference call that started at 5:00 pm and her game started at 6 pm... so I did not get it to the game until 6:20pm. I get there and GUESS WHAT -- Emma made the one and only goal her team made!

Wow, it just seems overnight it has already begun to be spring even though we still have 11 days left. The sweet gum tree buds are about to pop. My lilac tree already has leaves, the pansies are blooming. Oh what a world. I think those that do not get a good taste of cold winter and really hot summer do not have such a great appreciation for Spring... well, maybe they do.

My yellow crocus have already bloomed and we are on to purple, which is the next stage. Then the white ones will come out next. I guess it is time to start getting the garden ready to go. I can't hardly wait for that. To be able to eat fresh lettuce and veggies just makes me salivate. Now, I can do without pulling the weeds though... I bought herb seeds, and I am going to make a border garden around my deck in the backyard as well. Purple sage, purple basil, Lemon Verbena. I have to dig out around the deck and get some good dirt before I can start. I will have plenty of time when I am off work in the beginning of April. Emma's tonsillectomy is scheduled for April 3rd and her doctor wants her at home for at least 10 days. He perfers 3 weeks, but that may be pushing it. We will just play it by ear.

Emma's soccer team, the Tuff Cookies, had their first, err, soccer game on Saturday. It was so funny to watch and so hard not to want to push the girls. They were playing a team where the girls were at least a year older and our girls were just creamed! I actually asked Em if she knew she was supposed to beat the other team and she asked, "but why?". Here we preach peace, but then stick our kids in organized sports and ask them to cream the other team.. it is just not fair. Your kids can't play together outside all over the neighborhood for fear of something happening to them, but the only option we have is organized sports. I can't solve that one, but those girls were sure cute. Our next door neighbor, Jessie, came with us. I know it about drove her crazy. You just want to go out there
and help them. Run with them and whisper in their earsto give them help. Oh well, I will be content to just let them play and have fun .

We watched Flicka like 5 days times since last night. Emma is in love with the movie. It was a tear-jerker in a couple of parts. She now wants Flicka. I wish I could buy her a horse and pay for the upkeep, but that is well out of my range. So this summer when we go to Colorado, I am going to try to see if we can go to Wolf Springs Ranch . This ranch is gorgeous from the road. It is owned by the inventor of all of the Aussie Products, Tom Redmond . He raises Arabian's and buffalo. The "Barns" on the ranch are just HUGE. I am going to send them an email and see if we can stop by there this summer. I would love to see all of their horses and the ranch in general. I would love to own something like that. I cannot imagine waking up early in the morning and working the ranch. No dress clothes, no one cares if you put on makeup.. no sittin' on your butt infront of a computer for 8 + hours every day. It may be hard work, but would seem like freedom to me. We go to Westcliffe, CO every year in the summer. The Wolf Springs Ranch is on one side and the Maytag Mountain Ranch is on the other. There are farms and ranches all over the place.

This was the view from our driveway the other night. I was leaving to go to the store and looked over into the night sky and thought "wow, I have got to go get my camera!", so I did.

Things are still way busy over here. My job becomes increasingly busy every day, so by the time I get home I am just worn out. This past weekend I read an article about simplifying your life.. people that had big corporate jobs making big bucks and they just quit, walked away from that life. They built smaller homes (by smaller I mean like going from 4,000 sq ft to 1,100 sq ft). They just condensed their lives to what they need so they could actually enjoy life. The article had links links to several websites, one with planned smallhouse communities. These houses are just simply
adorable. The man that started this movement, Jay Shafer , lives in a 700 sq ft home himself. I have to admit, I am not sure I could do 700 sq ft. I think a lot of it is about having a well planned home with lots of built in storage. Built in drawers, shelves, cabinets... etc. But, that being said, those houses in the picture to the left are just too cute!

I have managed to finish another square of my afghan, and started another. I need to start blocking the ones I do have finished. I removed the border crochet around them all because I was not very happy with it. I am going to try to finish them and then do the border and block. Not sure. Any suggestions? Em has soccer practice tomorrow night, so I will bring the unfinished one with me to finish. I have to have a distraction or I will be that ever so not elusive soccer mom who yells at their kid to pay attention! Believe me, it is hard not to do when right in middle of practice you child keeps looking around and then yells, "look birds!", so then all of the little girls on her team are totally distracted!

I am in need of suggestions. A co-worker and his wife are going to have twins...soon. The theme of the nursery is airplanes. I have a pattern for some cute crocheted airplanes, do not have time to sit down and do two airplane quilts, and cannot find any cute airplane material! Any ideas?

Well, tonight is "LOST" so this is all you are going to see of me tonight! And yes, that is the Golfish pail next to me.. man are those things addictive!